Oh! I'm in heaven...
Who is Gwyneth Paltrow?
She is the daughter of successful
television producer Bruce Paltrow
(St. Elsewhere, The White Shadow)
and award-winning actress Blythe
Danner. Paltrow moved with her
family to New York at the age of
11. After graduating high school,
Paltrow enrolled at the University
of California at Santa Barbara with
the intention of majoring in art history.
Against her father's recommendations, she withdrew
from school to pursue an acting career. It wasn't until her
father caught her in a Williamstown Theater Production
of "Picnic," starring opposite her mother, that he lent his support
to her efforts.
Paltrow made quick strides into the movies, landing a supporting role,
following her very first audition, opposite John Travolta in the Universal
feature Shout!. A chance meeting with Steven Spielberg at a family function
then lead to a role in his motion picture Hook, in which she played the part of
young Wendy.
Following Hook, there was no looking back for this gifted actress. She
immediately landed a role in the miniseries "Cruel Doubt," in which,
ironically, Blythe Danner would later be cast in the role of her mother.
Her next role was opposite Meg Ryan, Dennis Quaid and James Caan in
the critically acclaimed Flesh and Bone, which brought Paltrow rave notices.
This performance was followed by a stream of roles in several films,
including New Line's Seven, opposite Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman,
Merchant-Ivory's Jefferson in Paris opposite Nick Nolte, Gramercy's
Moonlight and Valentino opposite Whoopi Goldberg, Kathleen Turner and
Elizabeth Perkins, and The Pallbearer with David Schwimmer and Barbara
Hershey for Miramax. Other film credits include Malice, Mrs. Parker and the
Vicious Circle and the title role in the film adaptation of Jane Austen's novel,
Emma. Most recently, Paltrow was seen in a modern screen adaptation of
Great Expectations with Ethan Hawke.